1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a system for pleasurable use by people of all ages with youthful minds in operating remotely controlled vehicles simultaneously in a somewhat confined area. In the system of this invention, the vehicles can be remotely controlled to perform competitive or cooperative tasks. The system includes control pads for operation by the users, vehicles remotely controlled in accordance with the operation of the control pads and a central control station for coordinating the operation of the control pads and the vehicles. In addition to the inventive aspects of the system, each of the control pads, the central control station and the vehicles includes features of an inventive nature. The system of this invention also includes stationary plants (e.g. power plants and elevators) which are controlled by the operation of the control pads. The invention additionally relates to methods including methods for controlling the operation of the vehicles on a remotely controlled basis.
More specifically, this invention relates to remotely controlled vehicles having inventive features such as toy self-loading dump trucks, trailers, forklifts and bulldozers that can be operated to mimic the operation of similar full-size vehicles by employing highly-maneuverable skid steering, having automatic tow hitch actuation mechanisms and having motorized accessories for scooping up transportable elements, transferring the transportable elements to a hopper, automatically activating the hopper to dump the transportable elements, for gripping, lifting and translating transportable elements, and for pushing transportable elements along a surface.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various types of toy systems exist, and have existed for some time, in which vehicles are moved on a remotely controlled basis. Examples of a vehicle in such a system are an automobile, airplane, truck, water vehicle or construction vehicle. In most such systems, however, the functions and activities that the vehicle is capable of are limited to merely maneuvering a vehicle about on the ground, in the air or in the water. Other types of toy systems involve the use of blocks for building structures. These blocks often include structure for providing an interlocking relationship between abutting blocks. In this way, elaborate structures can be created by users with creative minds. Such structures are generally built by hand.
Experience has proven that there is a desirability, and even a need, for play systems in which vehicles are remotely operated to perform functions other than merely being steered or maneuvered through a path of travel. For example, there exists a desire for a play system in which the remotely controlled vehicles have the capability of transporting elements such as building blocks maneuverable into position to build a toy or other structure. It is desirable that such systems employ a plurality of vehicles remotely controlled by switches in hand-held control pads so that users can compete against one another in performing various tasks such as moving building blocks or marbles.
Co-pending application Ser. No. 08/580,753 filed by John J. Crane on Dec. 29, 1995, for a "Remote Control System for Operating Toys" and assigned of record to the assignee of record of this application discloses and claims a play system for use by people of all ages with youthful minds. It provides for a simultaneous control by each player of an individual one of a plurality of remotely controlled vehicles. This control is provided by the operation by each such player of switches in a hand-held unit or pad, the operation of each switch in such hand-held unit or pad providing a control of a different function in the individual one of the remotely controlled vehicles. Each of the remotely controlled vehicles in the system disclosed an claimed in application Ser. No. 08/580,753 can be operated in a competitive relationship with others of the remotely controlled vehicles or in a co-operative relationship with others of the remotely controlled vehicles. The vehicles can be constructed to pick up and transport elements such as blocks or marbles and to deposit such elements at displaced positions.
When manually closed in one embodiment of the system disclosed and claimed in application Ser. No. 08/580,753, switches in pads control the selection of toy vehicles and the operation of motors for moving the vehicles forwardly, rearwardly, to the left and to the right and moving upwardly and downwardly (and rightwardly and leftwardly) a receptacle for holding transportable elements (e.g. marbles) or blocks.
When sequentially and cyclically interrogated by a central station, each pad in the system disclosed and claimed in application Ser. No. 08/580,753 sends through wires to the central station signals indicating the switch closures in such pad. Such station produces first binary signals addressing the vehicle selected by such pad and second binary signals identifying the motor control operations in such vehicle. Thereafter the switches identifying in such pad the control operations in such selected vehicle can be closed without closing the switches identifying such vehicle.
The first and second signals for each vehicle in the system disclosed and claimed in application Ser. No. 08/580,753 are transmitted by wireless by the central station to all of the vehicles at a common carrier frequency modulated by the first and second binary signals. The vehicle identified by the transmitted address demodulates the modulating signal and operates its motors in accordance with such demodulation. When the station fails to receive signals from a pad for a particular period of time, the vehicle selected by such pad becomes available for selection by another pad and such pad can select that vehicle or another vehicle.
A cable may couple two (2) central stations (one as a master and the other as a slave) in the system disclosed and claimed in application Ser. No. 08/580,753 so as to increase the number of pads controlling the vehicles. Stationary accessories (e.g. elevator) connected by wires to the central station become operative when selected by the pads.
Co-pending application Ser. No. 08/763,678 filed by William M. Barton, Jr., Peter C. DeAngelis and Paul Eichen on Dec. 11, 1996 for a "System For And Method Of Selectively Providing The Operation Of Toy Vehicles" and assigned of record to the assignee of record of this application discloses and claims a system wherein a key in a vehicle socket closes contacts to reset a vehicle microcontroller to a neutral state. Ribs disposed in a particular pattern in the key operate switches in a particular pattern in the vehicle to provide an address for the vehicle with the vehicle inactive but powered. When the vehicle receives such individual address from an individual one of the pads in a plurality within a first particular time period thereafter, the vehicle is operated by commands from such pad. Such individual pad operates such vehicle as long as such vehicle receives commands from such individual pad within the first particular period after the previous command from such individual pad. During this period, the vehicle has a first illumination to indicate that it is being operated.
When the individual pad of the system disclosed and claimed in application Ser. No. 08/763,678 fails to provide commands to such vehicle within such first particular time period, the vehicle becomes inactive but powered and provides a second illumination. While inactive but powered, the vehicle can be addressed and subsequently commanded by any pad including the individual pad, which thereafter commands the vehicle. The vehicle becomes de-activated and not illuminated if (a) the vehicle is not selected by any of the pads during a second particular time period after becoming inactivated but powered or, alternatively, (b) all of the vehicles become inactivated but powered and none is selected during the second particular period. If the vehicle becomes de-activated and not illuminated, the key can thereafter be actuated to operate the vehicle to the inactive but powered state.
Co-pending application Ser. No. 08/696,263, filed by Peter C. DeAngelis on Aug. 13, 1996 for a "System And Method Of Controlling The Operation Of Toys" and assigned of record to the assignee of record of this application discloses and claims a system wherein individual ones of pads remotely control the operation of selective ones of vehicles. In each pad, (a) at least a first control provides for the selection of one of the vehicles, (b) second controls provide for the movement of the selected vehicle and (c) third controls provide for the operation of working members (e.g. pivotable bins) in the selected vehicle. Each pad provides a carrier signal, preferably common with the carrier signals from the other pads. Each pad modulates the carrier signal in accordance with the operation of the pad controls. The first control in each pad provides an address distinctive to the selected one of the vehicles and modulates the carrier signal in accordance with such address.
Each pad of the system disclosed and claimed in application Ser. No. 08/696,263 sends the modulated carrier signals to the vehicles in a pseudo random pattern, different for each pad, with respect to time. Each vehicle demodulates the carrier signals to recover the address distinctive to such vehicle. Each vehicle then provides a movement of such vehicle and an operation of the working members in such vehicle in accordance with the modulations provided in the carrier signal by the operation of the second and third controls in the pads selecting such vehicle. Each vehicle is controlled by an individual one of the pads for the time period that such pad sends control signals to such vehicle within a particular period of time from the last transmission of such control signals to such vehicle. Thereafter such vehicle can be selected by such pad or by another pad.
What has been needed, and heretofore unavailable, is a toy system including vehicles remotely operated to accomplish tasks such as lifting, scooping, dumping, leveling, pushing, hauling and otherwise transporting suitably sized materials and towing of trailers carrying such material, or other vehicles, in combination to create a miniature community or industrial environment, thus providing a person having a youthful mind with the opportunity to employ a remotely-controlled system of vehicles and mechanisms to accomplish these tasks and others within a reduced-scale, industrial environment in cooperation or competition with other individuals in a pleasurable manner.